"The voters have spoken," De La Fuente said, conceding he had lost his bid to oust Councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan from her at-large seat. "It's over."

De La Fuente had opted not to seek re-election to the Fruitvale district seat he has held his entire political career to challenge Kaplan, a one-term incumbent.

Kaplan received 61 percent of ranked-choice votes, while De La Fuente had 39, according to the latest tally by the Alameda County registrar of voters, though provisional and mail ballots are still being counted.

De La Fuente, 63, vowed that he would not fade from public view just because he lost an election. He said he will look for ways to coalesce what he calls "the silent majority" of Oakland.

On issues ranging from gang injunctions to curfews to balanced budgeting, De La Fuente said a vocal minority influences policy just by showing up to council meetings and shouting.

"The silent majority stays silent," said De La Fuente. "They don't organize enough to promote or to articulate issues when it comes to public safety and finances in this city."

"That's an area that I think I can use my expertise, my knowledge and contacts to create a balance to push elected officials," he said.

An immigrant from Mexico in 1978, De La Fuente was elected to the council 14 years later and went on to serve five terms.

He served as council president for a decade during which Mayor Jerry Brown implemented an array of projects, particularly the revitalization of downtown, which are now seen as central to Oakland's future.

Though his name has been on a long list of legislation, De La Fuente cited the creation of the Fruitvale Transit Village, the Cesar Chavez Educational Center, and Think College Now Elementary School as being among his proudest achievements.

But in recent years, De La Fuente has increasingly been on the outside. In 2006, he lost the mayoral election to Ron Dellums, who beat him handily but was widely viewed as a disappointing mayor.

In 2008, De La Fuente lost his presidency on the council. In 2010, Councilwoman Jean Quan beat former state Sen. Don Perata, one of the state's most powerful politicians. De La Fuente would have run had Perata not entered.

During Quan's tenure, De La Fuente has become her fiercest critic, condemning her on a wide range of issues. When two groups of citizens began circulating a petition to recall Quan, De La Fuente announced he would run for mayor in a recall election.

"He became more of an obstructionist in the last couple of years," said Kernighan. "It may have been partially due to his frustration over Jean Quan being mayor - and him not."

Quan, Kaplan and Kaplan's spokesman, Jason Overman, did not respond to messages for comment.